Soul Stalkers
by videl-z
Summary: A group of demons called the Akurei-jin surface. Who are they? What do they want? What does Videl have to do with them?
1. Chapter One

**_~Soul Stalkers~_**

            A/N: All right, this fic may or may not be updated regularly, but I'd still appreciate reviews, I honestly update faster with good reviews. It's definitely PG-13, but no more than that. Maybe heavily implied sexual relations, as well as mentions of rape, and some violence, but nothing deserving of an '_R_' rating. I own Iruni, but not her name, and I don't own Verdandi, that credit goes to her hikari, Belldandy, but I do own the rest of the original characters. 

*Anata wa Shimatta!à Damn you!

~Chapter One~

            He gathered his books together and stuffed them in his bag once he'd finished the work written on the board, and waited to be dismissed. He looked next to him, where Videl was missing. She'd needed to go to a conference/publicity stunt, which was at Capsule Corp of all places. He was to go there straight from school; his parents and brother were already there. The bell finally rang, but Gohan continued to sit there, mainly because he didn't want to bother trying to squeeze into the crowd that ran toward the door. It was Friday, and a fairly nice day at that. Wisps of Cirrus clouds floated through the clean azure sky. 

            The crowd finally dispersed, and Gohan walked to where the teacher was gathering some papers to leave for the teachers' conference. She looked up when she noticed Gohan. 

            "May I help you, Mr. Son?" she inquired. She was an odd looking woman, this was true, but she always had a friendly air about her. 

            "Can I just get some of the papers to bring to Videl? She wanted me to get her work, even though she'd rather not do it…" Gohan laughed, slightly nervously.

            "Absolutely Mr. Son, and can I trust you to also bring her this," she handed him an envelope, "and not open it?"

            "Sure thing!" Gohan took the papers and envelope from his teacher and ran towards the roof. He was slowed by the principal, who yelled that there was no running in the halls, but he did make it to the roof in record time. (Hmm… I wonder why) Not slowing for a second, he leapt to the air, and let the cool air sting his face. Capsule Corp wasn't that far away, but it was just long enough that he had time to let his thoughts wander. They wandered to the confrontation with Piccolo the other day. That had been a weird incident…

~Flashback~

            'I'm gonna get there on time!' Gohan thought. It would be the second time that year. Looking at his watch as he landed, he noticed he there were still three minutes before class began. He ran toward the door but slowed to a halt when he saw a familiar green figure leaning against a wall.

            "Piccolo?" he called, walking to his old friend and sensei.

            "Finally kid. I didn't think you'd ever get here." Piccolo muttered.

            "Umm… Okay, but, what are you doing here?" 

            "I came to warn you, _before _you went into that school and became even more deluded by your 'friend'," Piccolo said the word 'friend' with such a malignant voice, Gohan came to suspect that he was referring to Cell rather than any of his friends.

            "Umm… which friend? And why do you want to warn me about them?" Gohan asked, even more bewildered. 

            "Evil is stirring in another dimension, I can sense it, and your friend has something to do with it. She's different, you can't sense it, but I can. Be careful around Videl, kid,"

            Gohan stared for a minute, then laughed out right, despite his efforts to try and hold back. "Videl? Evil? HAH! She can be nasty sometimes, but she's really nice! I think I can decide if she's evil or not for myself, thanks."

            "Don't laugh, KID! You don't know of what you're talking about! She's dangerous, and that's all I can tell you!"

            Gohan finally stopped laughing. "Listen, I have to get to class, but if she sprouts wings and chases me with a dagger, I'll let you know," and before his sensei could respond, Gohan had slipped through the door and was already running toward class. He still had thirty seconds…

~End Flashback~

            Upon hearing a yelp, Gohan glanced below him and saw that he'd been floating above Capsule Corp, apparently for some time now. Some lady had pointed up at him and promptly fainted. Quickly, he landed, before anyone else saw him. As he walked down the path, he could see all the chaos, and who caused it.

            People were trying to fix the popped and melted metal of the axes on a camera van. 'Goten and Trunks…" Gohan thought. He wandered forward more. A woman being carried off on a stretcher, bruises on her body, a single scorch mark on her shoulder, and a twisted arm. But the twisted arm held a clipboard with interview questions on it, including: 'What's your bra size?', 'Boxers, briefs, or none?', and 'Are you a Virgin?'. 'Geez Gohan thought… that lady just wanted to get killed… I guess Videl won't be in a great mood…" and finally, Gohan met up with Vegeta's destruction for the day; Yamcha.

            The washed-up baseball player was crushed into a wall of Capsule Corp, his body covered in blood that dripped from his very pores. He was burned on various parts of his arms, and he had the imprint of someone's knee driven into his groin area. It appeared Vegeta had wanted to make it so that Yamcha could never have children. _Ever. _But after all of this, he was still alive, his limbs twitched, and he took breath.

            Reaching into his belt, Gohan drew out a small brown bag. After an incident where Gohan nearly killed a convenience store robber, he'd started carrying a bag of Senzu Beans around regularly. He pulled Yamcha out of the hole in the wall and rested him against the stairs to Capsule Corp. 

            Seconds after the Senzu Bean was placed in his mouth, Yamcha sprang to life. He leapt into the air, looking wildly around. "Where is he? Where?!"

            Gohan grinned. "Calm for a minute, I think Vegeta's either in the GR, or the shower. Either way, you've got time enough to escape."

            "Okay, thanks a lot Gohan!" Taking a quick look to either side, Yamcha flew off at an incredible speed. 

            Gohan chuckled and walked inside, finding the most horrifying sight he'd ever had the misfortune to see. His mother, with a stack of pictures to either side, and Bulma and Videl to on her left laughing. 

            As he walked in, Videl looked up, a wide grin spanning her face. She sauntered over to him, an all-knowing and taunting look on her face. Gracefully, she placed an arm across to his shoulder, and rested her head against his chest. Gohan became even more nervous as she looked up at him. "Hi Gohan. Your Okaasan has just been graciously explaining some of the finer points in your life… You know, the ones you hide from…"

            "She… *gulp* Has?" 

            "Oh absolutely, and she's also shown me some of the pictures that go with them… Little Firefighter," the look on her face when she said it was quite smug.

            "Oh no!" Gohan whined. He was praying that he'd heard incorrectly.

            "Oh yes, I know all about you, little firefighter," she reached over to a stack, and picked off the top one. 

            The picture was of Gohan, giggling and red-faced at about the age of three. He was soaked to the bone and wearing swimming trunks that he had to hold up. The bad part was not the fact that his butt was very clearly shown in his horrible act of holding up the swimming shorts, it was the fact that his other hand was holding a hose into his trunks, so that water sprayed right through them in a large fountain. Of course, it made him look like he was peeing…. A lot… 

            The blush on Gohan's face made him look like the mercury from a thermometer. "Ahhh… that was when I was… Younger…"

            The grin on Videl's face remained. "Your mom and Bulma have mentioned a few more recent incidents…"

            Head in his hands, he began to shake. "Repressed memories…"

            "Hey, it's okay, I don't care…"

            "You… Don't?"

            "Iie, of course not! Little Firefighter…" Videl laughed. Bulma and Chichi echoed her mirth as well, while Gohan wished he could drop under the floorboards. 

            Finally the three women gained control of themselves, long after Gohan had taken a seat in a far chair as well as finished pouting. Videl wandered over to him and sat on his lap and leaned against his chest. His hands slipped around her stomach. The pair acted like a couple, although they hadn't started 'dating' yet. 

            "So, how'd your otousan's publicity stunt go?" Gohan asked.

            Videl laughed. "Well, he put on a great show for the reporters, breaking all of 30 tiles, but as soon as they'd taken their attention from him, he began cradling his hand, which we found out is broken." 

            "Gomen nasai?"

            "Oh please, I know you're not sorry for him, and frankly, I'm with you on that one. Did you get my work?"

            "Hai, of course!" Gohan grinned.

            "Anata wa shimatta…" Videl muttered. "Arigato… I guess."

            Gohan glanced to his mother, who was talking animatedly to Bulma. "Okaasan? Where's Otousan?"

            "Kitchen."

            "Arigato."

            As the sun began to set, Gohan could feel Videl drifting off to sleep against his chest. "Long day?" he asked quietly.

            "Mmhmm…"

            A loud explosion interrupted the quiet moment, and Videl would have fallen out of her seat if it weren't Gohan holding her. As it were, Gohan leapt up while holding her anyways. He let her go and got into fighting stance, it was pure habit by now. But then they heard the yelling, and saw that it was just the GR that had blown up. 

            "Kakarott you clown! The woman's gonna put _me _on the couch because of _you_."

            "Gomen, Veggie! I didn't mean to!"

            "That was _so_ _cool_ dad!"

            "Son Goku! You had _Goten_ in there with you buffoons?!"

            "And me, I was in there too!"

            "VEGETA!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

            "Wanna go help them?" That was Gohan.

            "…Not really, but I guess we could…." Videl responded. Then glancing at her watch, she shook her head. "Iie, I've gotta get home, wanna come with me?"

            Grinning, Gohan walked out the front door with her and floated into the air. "Hai!" 

            The couple flew in silence, enjoying one another's company. They took the usual route to her house, which meant go completely out of their way, because they wanted to enjoy a peaceful view. They eventually landed in front of Videl's mansion, and Gohan handed Videl the papers from school. They stood there, silent for a few minutes. Gohan shifted uncomfortably, as he wanted to say something, but couldn't bring himself to say it. 

            "Umm… Gohan? Is there any reason you're still standing here?" 

            His voice high and cracked, Gohan answered; "Eheheheh… Videl? I was wondering… Since we already kind of… You know… And people think we're a *ahem*, do you wanna be?"

            Videl stared for a few more minutes blankly. "Nani?"

            "Do… Do… Are you free tomorrow night? Maybe I could take you to... Dinner and a Movie?" He let out an extreme sigh as he was done.

            "As in, go on a date?" Videl asked; her look was unreadable.

            "Umm… Hai?" 

            "No," and with that she turned and walked into her house, not another word uttered.

            But Gohan still stood there, feeling broken inside. He couldn't think of what it was he did wrong; he'd thought she liked him. 'I gave myself too much credit' Slowly, he turned away, taking flight with a last glance to Videl's window, where she could be seen sitting on her bed, facing away from him. He flew back toward his house; no one was there yet. Climbing the stairs to his room, he relaxed, leaning against the headboard. "You know, sometimes life sucks," he muttered to no one in particular. "What the HELL did I do wrong?" His eyes closed slowly, and he drifted off to sleep in his uncomfortable position.

            Videl felt him leave, and lifted her shirt off her body, followed by the remainder of her clothes. She was in her bathroom by this point, and she turned the water onto an icy blast. Stepping into the shower, she muttered; "Gohan, you didn't do anything wrong… Unfortunately, you did everything just right…"

            "I haven't seen you this way in years, Videl," A sultry voice whispered behind her.

            "Bastard!" she yelped. Videl turned around to face him, and his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close to his body. "Akuma."

            "I am, aren't I?" Akuma grinned.

~Videl~Z~


	2. Chapter Two

~Soul Stalkers~

            Disclaimer: I stole this unoriginal disclaimer from someone else, who stole it from someone else, who stole it from someone else, who stole that from Funimation, who stole that from Toei, who stole that from Akira Toriyama… Why did Akira have a disclaimer? ………. Oh, and if you're going to use my disclaimer, please add me to the list. Domo Arigato.

            A/N: This chappy is a load of background information, worked into the plot. It is _vital _for the story, you'll need this information.

~Chapter Two~

            A tall man sat in a large black throne, and sparkling blood-red liquid dripping from where his clawed hands rested. He rested with an all-knowing smirk on his face. He wore tight black leather pants, and a black tank top, pulled taut against his chiseled body. His shirt had a red substance stained down the center, and he wore chains around his arms and neck. His hair was a dark black color, with red tips, which accented his dark eyes, and gleaming red pupils. His shirt had large holes in the back, where black wings were resting against his body. While folded, his wings were no wider than two feet, and no taller than three feet, but spread, these wings reached twelve feet across, and had teal and red shimmers that shown under the light. 

            "Transform, you know you can't remain like that in this realm forever," the man's voice was low and rough, but with a humorous tone affecting it. As he laughed, you could see his fangs.

            The determined woman remained on the floor below him, on her hands and knees, wisps of her short black hair covering her piercing blue eyes. Her body was bare, a single towel cast to the side. She wasn't very tall, and she was extremely thin, but with a single look at her, one could tell she was powerful. Yet even as the scene progressed just seconds, her form began to become morphed. One could hear the cracking of stiff joints, and the sudden horrifying sound of tearing flesh. Her eyes were flushed with the pain of fighting the transformation, yet it was all in vain. Her body grew longer, her hair was lengthened, and gained blue streaks to it, and she even gained clothes as though she were wearing them forever. The torn black shirt just barely clutched to her large breasts. The even shorter black skirt showed off everything and more, serving almost no purpose at this point, except as a technicality. Claws and fangs grew from there respective places, but the most miraculous change was the wings that raised themselves from her body. A spectacular twenty-three feet across, red, black, and blue mixed splendidly to form an amazing color combination as they were folded. Claws protruded from each angle on her newly acquired limbs. 

            "Much better," the man pronounced. "I've heard some disturbing news… I'm not sure whether to trust it or not. Rumors have been going on, that you've deserted your prey, and even, say the bolder rumors, fallen… In love with him. Now, I know you're too smart for that, right? Of course. But then again, what was that you were muttering in the shower?" he wandered down to the woman, who had yet to move from her spot, "You know the price for treachery woman…"

            "I'm not being treacherous, bastard… You know that we have to get them to fall in love with us before we can attack," She spat verbal venom toward him.

            "Hai, but then, why, exactly, would you give up a chance to go out with this boy? Surely the relationship would progress much faster then?" 

            "Shizuka ni, Akuma… I'm tired of you. I shall be getting back to my prey-" She was cut off by his hands around her waist, and mouth on her lips as though she were his property.

            "But Videl, dear, seeing you in that shower, it reminded me of a few years ago. We had fun that night, didn't we?" Akuma whispered.

            "Actually, if I remember correctly, I was chained to a wall with a piece of Katchin shoved in my mouth as you impregnated me."

            "Ah, but you are such a rare find, a half Akurei-jin, and you know the rights of passage. And you presented me with my healthy child, just as the requirements state, did you not?" 

            "Hai, fucking bastard, I gave you your fucking child," Videl replied.

            Akuma rocked her body close to his own, despite her attempts to pull back. "I never knew a hybrid could look so sexy, and then you came along, and all of a sudden, I find myself in a fit of passion in your name, Videl."

            "I don't care what you want right now, these are precious moments I could be spending making that prey of mine fall in love. I have to leave," and with that, she twisted out from his arms and took two steps backwards, walking through an invisible wall. 

* * *

            She appeared in the shower, which had now run even colder. She turned it off, no longer in her transformed state, and dressed in a sports bra and capris for bed. Her body still ached, but she found strength enough to walk, if only for that. 'Gohan, I don't get how you can't see it. I can't let you fall in love with me… It would be like your own suicide. I can't let that happen to you; not because of me. Piccolo can see it; he knows something. Listen to your sensei Gohan; stay away from me,' she thought. 'As much as I'd just love to die to save him, I can't… I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to Trunks or Goten. If I left, I know something horrifying would happen to them.' "Why must I be cursed with Akurei-jin blood?!" she yelled.

            A lone figure, levitating out her window heard this exclamation of her heritage; "Akurei-jin. Of course, she'd _have_ to be Akurei-jin. Not any easy race like the Daemons, she's an Akurei-jin. Why is she so unhappy with this? Is she feeling…Remorse?"

            Feeling another presence, Videl looked up to her window, then wandered out to the balcony. "I can feel you out here Piccolo, and if you can sense me at all, then you know my secret."

            Silence held thick for a few more minutes, but at length, the Namek landed on the other edge of the balcony, revealing himself. "You aren't after Gohan, are you?" Piccolo asked.

            Again, silence. Finally she spoke; "Hai, I am after him… I suppose… I don't understand, but instead of making him fall in love with me, I fell in love with him. That's a treachery that one pays with eternal torture, along with their loved one."

            "I know a bit about the Akurei-jin, but almost nothing about you. What, exactly, makes you so special?" Piccolo asked.

            "You don't know? Haven't you realized that my otousan's not an Akurei-jin? My mother was, but while hunting her prey, she fell in love with my otousan, and had me. I'm a hybrid…"

            "But, I was under the impression that the Akurei-jin hunted hybrids."

            Videl sighed. "We do, any mixed race, any hybrid, no matter how small the ratio of their races may be. That's why we never sent anyone after Goku, or Vegeta. But Goten, however, has been targeted by none other than my own daughter," Videl whispered.

            "Goten was targeted? How is it that you have a daughter? Actually, I withdraw the question," Piccolo retracted the question on an afterthought.

            "Iie Piccolo, it wasn't some love story. All the female Akurei-jin are slave-bound to Akuma, and at the age of ten are forced to mate with, and present a child to, him. Her name is Iruni, and, although, I'm her okaasan, I'd like nothing more than for her to drop dead. All of these feelings will get a person killed in my race, and now Akuma is on to me."

            Piccolo stood there, pondering for a moment. "And yet, you don't mind that it will be your death if you continue on the path your on now?" he asked.

            "I don't care what happens to me, I just want you guys safe."

            "Are you going to tell Gohan at some point, or will you wait until it's too late?" he asked, matter-of-factly.

            "I won't wait until it's too late! I just don't know how to tell him that I'm his Soul Stalker!" Videl cried.

            "Why are the Akurei-jin called Soul Stalkers, anyways?" Piccolo inquired.

            "Well, basically, we're given a target the second we're born, and learn to read their thoughts, follow them, hear whatever they say, and eventually, we force them into love with us, and use their souls as nourishment. Sick, isn't it?" 

            Piccolo stared, dumbfounded for a few more minutes. "I don't know if you can sense it Videl, but something's stirring in your realm, and I think it's because of you. I suppose we'll be seeing some new enemy soon?" he asked.

            "I don't know Piccolo… That's not up to me. But Time's moving, and we'll soon find out what Akuma has planned. It's big whatever it is."

            Piccolo nodded and turned to leave. "Just don't wait until it's too late, Videl."

            Videl wandered back to her room, only a bit worse for the wear. Collapsing on her bed, she began to try and heal her tired body. She lay there for a while, not thinking, until she thought she felt an odd spike in the energy around the earth. It passed not long after, and Videl was left to sleep, although not well, as her night was filled with fitful dreams of Gohan and Akuma, a battle to the death. 

* * *

            "Miss Videl, you really should get up…" Came an airy voice to interrupt her dream. There was no light to shine through her eyelids as usual though. "I thought it best not to open the curtains, as you don't sleep in much, and that boy's been out there on your balcony since before six. He came to the door inquiring as to your condition around eight, but he's been out there much longer than that."

            Videl heard none of these words, for as soon as she heard of a boy on her balcony, she tore about the room to dress herself. The senile maid didn't seem to notice, and continued on about the good-mannered boy who waited until after dawn to ring the bell. The elderly lady didn't even mind that she was pushed from the room before she'd finished her lecture. Videl ran to the windows and threw the balcony door open to greet Gohan, as he'd been waiting for hours. 

            "What are you _doing_ here?" she yelped. 

            He was instantly taken aback by her lack of anger in her response. "Waiting?"

            "Since Six?! What in God's name could have possessed you to do that?! I'm not moving until noon usually!"

            "Videl, I wanted to apologize. I was out of line to ask you to go out with me. We're good friends… I shouldn't… I shouldn't try to mess that up," Gohan said, giving a listless smile.

            "You lost sleep over me, didn't you?" she asked, grinning.

            "Only one night, but, hai… You could put it that way."

            "Well, I have an apology to make as well. I should have been more up front with you as to why I said no so quickly. But it still doesn't feel quite like the right moment to tell you anyways. I think I'll just kind of know when it's the appropriate time. Now simply isn't it. Can you just take that for now? I'll tell you everything, I just need to sort some things out first."

            "Why do I get the feeling this is gonna be more than a little family secret?" Gohan asked.

            "Well, not quite the whole family… But, never mind," Videl suddenly turned, and Gohan imitated her actions, and they each stared off into the distance. "Did you feel that?"

            "Hai."

~Capsule Corp~

            Vegeta spent another late night training, and was only now waking. He felt slightly pissed about something, but he had so many things and people he was pissed at, he couldn't keep track of them all. Bulma appeared to be outside with her okaasan, somewhere near the gardens, and Trunks was…That was weird… Maybe he was a bit too tired. He sensed two of his sons; although, one of them did feel incredibly weak. Then it hit him. That other Trunks, the one from the future! Why would he be here? And why was he so weakened?

            Bulma's scream could be heard around the entirety of the Capsule Corp Complex. "Oh Shit! TRUNKS!"

~Videl~Z~


End file.
